Display device



C. W. WADSWORTH.

DISPLAY DEVICE.

APPLICA'HON HLED AUG. 14, I920.

PatentedSept. 13, 1921.

d? ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

DISPLAY DEVICE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 13, 1921.

Application filed August 14, 1920. Serial No. 403,528.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES \V. \VAns- WORTH, a citizen of the United States, residin at Merrick, in the county of Nassau and tate of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display Devices, fully described and re resented 1n the following specification an the accompanying drawing, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to display devices, and has for an object the providing of means for mounting posters and like articles for display which will make possible the folding of the mounting means and the poster into a small package for easy transportation.

For display purposes it has been customary to mount advertising and other posters upon a relatively stifi piece of cardboard or on a rigid frame. Posters so mounted have been found inconvenient and diflicult to transport. By the device which I have invented, a flexible oster is held flat for display purposes, w ile the whole device including the oster itself may be folded into a package 0 small diameter and no longer than the width of the poster.

According to my invention, the poster is mounted or printed upon flexible material such as paper or cloth. Two stiff, or rigid, members are attached to opposite edges or ends of the poster, and a folding thrust piece is provided to s read the rigid members apart so as to hol the ster flat.

My invention will full understood from a detailed description 0 the-embodiments of it illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective rear view of a poster mounted for display in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken perspective rear view of a ortion of one end of the poster showing t 1e connection between one of the end members and the thrust member;

Fig. 3ris a detailed sectional view on line 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is :1 pers ctive view showing the poster rolled up oosely about the folded thrust and supportin members;

Fig. 5 is a perspec ive view of the thrust members and supporting member folded;

Fig. 6 is a broken rear perspective view of one end of a poster showing a modified means for connection between the edge member of the poster and the thrust iece;

Fig. 7 is a detailed sectional view taken on line 77 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing another modification.

The poster or show card 10 comprises a sheet of flexible material such as cloth or paper on one side of which display matter is printed or otherwise displayed. To the rear side of opposite ends of the sheet are attached parallel rigid edge members or strips 11 which in the form shown in Figs. 1 to 5 may conveniently be made of wood. Each member 11 is provided midway of its length with an inwardly opening socket 12 to receive the end of the thrust piece, formed. most desirably as shown by forming a recess in the side of the member which is attached to the poster. In order to relieve the part of the poster which covers the side of the recess from liability of injury by the inserted end of the thrust piece and to provide a sufiiciently strong side wall for the socket, a piece 13 of strong paper or other suitable sheet material is glued or otherwise secured to the side of the member 11 to close the side of the recess, and this sheetl 13 extends somewhat beyond the inner edge of the member to further protect the poster at that point.

The thrust piece comprises two thrust members 14 and 15. The thrust members 14 and 15 are conveniently formed of straight flat stri s of wood or other suitable'material and their inner ends overlap and are joined together flatwise by a rivet 16 which affords a pivotal or hinge connection between the thrust members and also holds the opposed faces of the overlapping portions of the thrust members in frictional relation. This connection permits relative angular movement of the thrust members about the rivet 16, but such movement is opposed by the friction between the ovcrlapplng ends of the thrust members. The outer ends of the thrust members are thinned for insertion in the sockets 12 of the members 11. A supporting or prop member 17 is hinged to the thrust member 15, a by a piece of thin metal or other flexible material 18, the hinge axis of the supporting member being at right angles to the pivotal or hinge axis of the thrust members. When the poster is to be transported, the thrust members 14 and 15 are folded together as indicated in Fig. 5 and the sup orting member is folded down against t e thrust member 15, and the poster 10 is rolled up as indicated in Fig. 4, only ti hter.

hen the poster is to be displayed, it is unrolled and the thrust members 14 and 15 are extended nearly straight. The outer ends of the thrust members are then inserted in the sockets 12 of the edge members 11. The pivot point of the thrust members is then moved sidewise until these members are extended in a straight line as shown in Fig. 1. This movement results in causing an outward thrust on the members 11, drawing the poster 10 flat. As the position of the thrust members illustrated in Fig. 1 is one of unstable equilibrium, it is necessary to provide for prevention of accidental displacement of the pivot point, or relative angular movement of the thrust members. In the embodiment illustrated, such dis placement is prevented by the friction between the overlapping faces of the thrust members. The sockets 12 are desirably of sufficient depth so that the ends of the thrust members extending into and fitting the sockets hold the edge members from turnin under the tension of the poster.

hen the thrust members have been placed as indicated in Fig. 1, the supporting member 17 may be swung out rearwardly so as to support the poster in substantially erect position.

In the modification shown by Figs. 6 and 7, the edge members 11* attached to the ends of the poster, and of which one is shown in these figures, are formed by metal binding strips doubled and clamped over the edge of the poster, and a small piece 20 of suitable sheet material such as semi-flexible tough cardboard is bound in against the rear side of the poster midway of the length of each edge strip or member, and this piece or tab 20 is formed with an opening 21 into which the end of the thrust member may be inserted, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. In the further modification illustrated by Fig. 8, the edge member 11, to one side of which the edge of the poster is attached, as in Fig. 1, is formed of a channeled strip of wood or other suitable material. the channel or groove of which receives the end of the thrust member.

Other modifications may be made in the embodiment described without departing from my invention which is not limited to the specific construction shown. The device may be used for the mounting and display of pictures, photographs and printed matter of all kinds, all of which are intended to be included in the term posters as used in the following claims.

\Vhat is claimed is:

1. The combination with a flexible poster, of edge members attached to opposite edges of the poster, and a folding thrust piece comprising thrust members the outer ends of which are adapted to engage said edge members and exert an outward thrust thereon when the thrust members are extended and which are provided "with means for pivotally connecting their inner ends and for normally holding them against relative angular movement when so extended.

2. The combination with a flexible poster, of edge members attached to opposite edges of the poster, a folding thrust piece comprising thrust members the outer ends of which are adapted to engage said edge members and exert an outward thrust thereon when the thrust members are extended and which are provided with means for pivotally connecting their inner ends and for normally holding them against relative angular movement when soextended, and a rear supporting member hinged to one of said thrust members.

3. The combination with a flexible poster, of edge members attached to opposite edges of the poster and having inwardly opening sockets, and a detachable folding thrust piece comprising thrust members pivotally connected together near their inner ends, the outer ends of the thrust members being formed to enter the sockets of said edge members and to exert an outward thrust on said edge members when the thrust members are extended.

4. The combination with a flexible poster, of edge members attached to opposite edges of the poster, each edge member being formed with a recess in the side thereof covered by the poster and extending from the inner edge thereof to form an inwardly opening socket, and a detachable folding thrust piece comprising pivotally connected thrust members the outer ends of which are formed to enter the sockets of the edge members and which exert an outward thrust on said edge members when the thrust members are extended.

5. The combination with a flexible poster, of edge membels attached to opposite edges of the poster, each edge member being formed with a recess in the side thereof extending from the inner edge thereof and having a piece of sheet material secured over the open side of the recess to form an inwardly opening socket to receive the end of a thrust member.

6. The combination with a flexible poster of edge members attached to opposite edges of the poster, and a folding thrust piece adapted to exert an outward thrust on the edge members when extended and comprising thrust members pivotally connected at their inner ends, said edge members and the outer ends of said thrust members being pro vided with cooperating engaging means serving to position t e thrust p1ece in relation to the edge mem ers so that its pivotal axis is perpendicular to the plane of the poster when the thrust piece is extended.

7. The combination with a flexible poster, of rigid edge members attached along opposite edges of the poster, and a folding thrust piece for spreading the edge members apart to hold the poster flat.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 15 my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES W. WADSWORTH.

Witnesses:

A. JAREOKY, A. L. KENT.

It is hereby certified that Letters Petent No. 1,390,736, granted September 13, 1921, upon the epplicatien 6f Charles WfWadsworth, of Merrick, New York, for en improvement in Displey Devices," were erroneously issue d the inventor,

said Wadsworth, as owner of said invention, whereas said Letters fatent should have been'issued to T. Fred Main-e, o 'm'w York, N. Y, as assignee of the entire interest in said invention, es shown by the record of I. assignments in this oflice,

and that the said Letters Petent should be read with this correction therein that the same may oonform'to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice'.

Signed and sealed this 15th day of November, A. D., 1921.

KARL FENNING,

, Acting Commissioner of Patents.

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